Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Whoosh...the week has flown by and my computer went in for a check-up, so now I have it back and can post again!

Sunday involved picking some small tomatoes warm off their vines.

And one big heritage tomato, a Cherokee Brown too.
Love those heritage tomatoes!

Sunday also meant a walk up Millcreek Canyon.

Bernie and I walk on the edge of the roadway pavement, sticking to the shady side or the stream side as much as possible.
Getting views like this one is a pleasant plus to a "burn some calories/keep fit" walk.

Hard to decide how to shoot this little water fall.

Thank heaven for digital cameras that make making such a choice unnecessary.

There were a few splashes of fall color.
This little splash seemed just as undecided as I was about what to do.
Apparently it went with all sorts of colors in a polk-a-dot design.

I do appreciate the fact that Millcreek Canyon roadway has a gently grade.
I can walk it easily and do so even in winter with my snow shoes on.

As we approached an area called Elbow Fork the creek was rushing over some heavy rocks.

The sound was lovely....

Cool air rose towards us as we stood there for a moment to enjoy the frothy waters.

And as usual, if I stand somewhere for a few moments I will see something that I otherwise would have missed seeing.
Seems like I usually see one of my OSU colored caterpillars each fall.

About a month ago we hiked up one of the Millcreek forks and I didn't take my camera along.
(I know...weird, but I was focusing on really hiking UP a bit and didn't want the extra weight of a camera along with me.)
At one point I saw a tiny side streamlet that had the most interesting red root like things waving just beneath the water.
Surprise...here was the same reddish things in Millcreek proper.
Moss or roots?
I have no idea, but have never seen anything like them before.

Autumn colors will continue to ramp up in the Canyon until early November.
I'll be up there a lot taking pictures and enjoying the scents and colors of the season.

If you'd like, I'd love to have you come along too.
Or if you can't come along for the ride...

Monday, September 10, 2012

Greek Festival...we went again!
I think this was my fifth or sixth time going.
The event has grown over the years until now it lasts for four days.
It is the longest running Greek festival in America, now in its 37th year.

The Festival is held to raise funds for twenty local charities.
I haven't found out exactly how much they raise, but with 50,000 people attending you can imagine the dollar amount raised with just the five dollar fee to get in.

We love seeing the dancing.
The Greek Orthodox kids are taught traditional Greek dances and move through various dance group levels until they are college age.
I imagine it must be such a great way to bond the kids together, teach them how to interact with the opposite sex, and also gain a skill that can be used at any Greek gathering around the globe.

But...truth be known...we go for the food. The festival has the very BEST Greek food!
The lines to get food are very long but move efficiently.
The women cook for months,

and the men are in booths around the tent working over open flames to cook chicken, lamb and pork.
The smell is delicious!!!
(Poor Luke. No Greek food for you this year. Next year buddy, we promise!)
Funds are raised from the sale of food too...

With the music going it is almost impossible not to want to get up and dance a bit too.
The Festival has so much to offer, with kid zones for play, museum and sanctuary tours and gift shops one could hang out there for a whole day.

But that afternoon we had other places we want to go explore too...
All over town there have been billboards touting the opening of "Kitty City"!
(Seriously...who wouldn't want to go to a place called Kitty City?)

Our local Humane Society owns a fairly large piece of property, and the Boyces donated funds to create "Kitty City".
Instead of homeless cats being put in cages...

Now they have spacious rooms geared just for their pleasure!

Cats are fostered and once they are in adoptable condition, they are move into Kitty City.
This is a common room which several cats share.

Then there are Kitty Condos for smaller groups.
Three to a room, two, or even one right now.
Apparently adoptions have been skyrocketing ever since Kitty City opened three weeks ago.

Each of the twenty or so condos have a screen playing DVDs of birds and mice and rats with tantalizing chirping and squeaks.

There are also "get acquainted" rooms for people to interact with just one cat at a time.

The condo furnishings are first rate!

Along the hallways one can enjoy cat related artwork which are offered for sale as fundraisers.

Isn't this cat a beauty?
The cats were mostly very comfortable in their condos, purring when petted, and not shy at all.

Nothing like an orange cat with a very striped tail!
We didn't adopt any kitties since our four more than meet our household cat needs for now.
But that won't stop us from occasionally visiting Kitty City just to meet other wonderful deserving homeless cats who have managed to land on their feet in a most pleasant place...a shelter that offers excellent accommodations and is striving to reach a No Kill status.
They are very close...only really sick cats are put down right now.
It is a bit troubling to consider that these cats have it better than many children in the world.
Still...I am glad for the homeless cats.

The day ended with a sky show.

I try to go outside at sunset and watch to see what beauty will form above me.
(Notice the black clouds between the trees....)

The sky hosted both dark storm clouds and airy clouds as well.

As I write this we are having a few most welcomed showers.
The air is scented with the warm damp earthy smells that end of summer/early fall can bring.
The pictures above were from Saturday...tomorrow I will share about our Sunday.

I'm Jill. I'm a librarian and milliner now living in Salt Lake City with my husband of 37 years and my three shelter adopted cats. I'm 60, was born and expected I would spent my whole life in San Diego, save for two years in Corvallis Oregon in college.
Then beginning in 1997, right after our youngest graduated from high school my husband and I began "empty nesting" on the move. We lived one year in Almenden CA (San Jose area), two years in Dallas TX and eight years on Houston TX before moving Salt Lake City in the fall of 2008.
I love it here, but counting on Heaven being my ultimate hometown! I do hope we will one day be neighbors there?
I have two adult children; a daughter in San Diego and a son (and daughter-in-law) who also live in Salt Lake City; two beloved grandsons, and parents who were born and still live in San Diego, and who read my blog every day.